


YTA, Dad

by BookWyrm07



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parenting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, mild biphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookWyrm07/pseuds/BookWyrm07
Summary: Liam's summer with his bio dad doesn't go as planned.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 16
Kudos: 131





	YTA, Dad

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by real AITA posts

Liam fidgeted in the passenger seat. He reminded himself this was normal. He always spent a month of the summer at his bio dad's house. He had nothing to worry about. This wasn't even his first trip out since he became a werewolf. Last year went smoothly, and his control was so much better now. 

He glanced at the driver's seat and the reason his control was better. "Is The No Dates For A Month your dad's rule or yours?" Theo asked.

"Mine. I only see him and my little brother and sisters once, sometimes twice a year. If I take off for a date it feels like I'm shorting us out of time together."

Theo gave him one of those rare smiles, not his smirk or the cocky grin, but the real soft smile that he only let Liam see. "I get it, but if you need me I'm here."

"Thanks. Want to come in and meet everyone?" Liam grinned. Theo was his anchor and his boyfriend, and he could lay on the charm like no one's business, but Liam doubted he wanted to meet his part time dad, step mom and three siblings under eight years old 

Theo sucked in a breath through his teeth. "If you want me to meet them, I will..."

"But you don't want to," Liam finished.

"I would rather get my ass kicked by Malia, again." Theo parked the truck in front of the two story suburban home.

"We'll just have to say goodbye right here, then." Liam pulled his boyfriend into a deep kiss. They took their time, enjoying the feel of each other. When they finally parted he said, "okay, I had better go in."

"Yeah. Don't die while I'm not there to watch your back."

"Only if you promise not to kill anyone while I'm gone." They laughed and Liam grabbed his bags to go inside.

His father opened the front door before Liam finished coming up the walkway. "It's good to see you, Liam. You've grown," he greeted him and pulled him into a side hug made awkward by the duffel bag and backpack Liam carried.

"Yeah, Dad, good to see you." Liam didn't mention that he had been the same height for more than a year. He followed his dad to the guest room and set his stuff on the bed.

"So… um, that was quite the public display out there." Dad didn't make eye contact.

"It was just a kiss." Liam shrugged. If his dad thought that was a huge display he probably would have had a heart attack at the public make outs he and Hayden had.

"It looked like a lot more than a kiss, and one other thing, please don't wear makeup around the kids. We don't want the girls to think they have to use it when they get older. We want them to be confident in their looks without cosmetic enhancement."

Liam blinked at his dad. The makeup was new for him in the last year, and it really didn't feel like a big deal. Was there a reason he couldn't just tell his sisters he wore it because he liked it, and didn't care if anyone else did or not? He decided he didn't want to argue first thing on getting in. "Okay, so no kissing my boyfriend and no eyeliner or mascara. Any other new rules I should be aware of?"

"I don't think so, but I'll let you know if we missed anything. Thanks for being understanding. I'll see you at dinner." His dad scurried from the room, leaving Liam to unpack by himself.

\---

Liam looked around the guest room he took over. It had been a couple of days with his dad and it was starting to look and more importantly smell like his space. He unpacked and put up a couple of his posters, Harry Styles, Pentatonix and Taylor Swift. Pentatonix always went between Harry and Taylor so the ex's wouldn't need to be next to each other. 

He grabbed a sealed zip bag from the top drawer. He opened it and breathed in deep the scent of his anchor and boyfriend. The t-shirt was loose since Theo was broader than he was but wearing it felt like a hug. 

A soft ping sound came from his computer. He laid on the bed with his laptop and opened the chat.

Theo: I MISS YOU, dumbass.  
Liam: I miss you, too, asshole   
Theo: it's been four days and I'm already feeling homicidal without my anchor.🔪🩸💀  
Liam: you're exaggerating 😘  
Theo: maybe 🙄  
Theo: Is it creepy if I break in your room and sleep in your bed while you're gone? 🤔  
Liam: I'm sure my mom would let you use the front door and no I think it's sweet.😍  
Liam: I like the idea of you in my bed.  
Liam: just a sec.

There was a light tap at his door. 

"Come on in, Dad." Liam looked up over the screen. 

"Do I have a unique knock, or something? You always know when it's me." He leaned against the door frame.

Liam froze. He couldn't tell his dad the truth. He smelled who was at the door. "Everyone else is already in bed by now," he said lamely. It was only ten, but the younger kids were in bed by eight and his step mom not long after that.

"Oh, that makes sense." His dad shifted from foot to foot. He smelled nervous. 

"What's up?" Liam closed the laptop, and focused on his father.

"You and the kids were playing in the back yard today."

Liam felt the smile split his face. "Yeah, I was teaching them some of the basics of lacrosse. A lot of schools have coed teams if they don't have enough girls for their own team."

He nodded like a broken bobblehead. "That's great. The sport isn't the problem. The uh, shirt you were in wasn't exactly what I would call appropriate."

Liam had to think for a moment. What shirt had he been wearing? "The red crop top?" It had started as a regular t-shirt, but a fake fight with Theo had led to it being ripped and it felt like a waste to trash it so he just cut off the bottom, and used it for working out. "I generally go from the bathroom to here without a shirt, is that a problem?"

"No, that's fine. It's inside the house and you're obviously about to get dressed or go to bed." 

Anger flared. Liam took a deep breath. Theo's scent filled his nose and he was glad he put on his shirt. "Got it. No crop tops where your neighbors can see," he said with only a slight edge to his voice.

"It's not like that, Liam. It's just a modesty thing. There are things that are okay to wear around the house that aren't okay in public." Liam nodded and fought not to roll his eyes. Since when was a fenced in backyard public? 

"Glad you understand." His dad visibly relaxed, and looked around the room. "Is that the singer with that rather rude song about 'watermelons'?" He did finger quotes as he said watermelons.

"Yeeaah." He drew the word out, cautiously.

Dad winced. "Please take that down. I don't want your siblings singing that kind of trash. Thanks for being so understanding. Goodnight." He didn't wait for an answer, just left.

Liam: I just had a conversation with my dad and had to go through my mantra 3 times while wearing your shirt  
Theo: what happens? I can come get you.  
Liam: no. I'll stick it out.  
Liam: I get to add crop tops and Harry Styles to the list list of things banned by my dad.  
Theo: no kissing me, make up, crop tops or hot guy posters/music… daddy sounds like a homophobe.  
Liam: I told him I was bi years ago and it wasn't an issue.  
Theo: but you've been dating girls and traditionally masculine until fairly recently.  
Liam: 🤷♂️ he never had an issue with my One Direction posters  
Theo: what was his issue with Harry?  
Liam: inappropriate lyrics  
Theo: but you get to keep TayTay? Which sounds more inappropriate to you? 

Carve your name into my bedpost / 'Cause I don't want you like a best friend / Only bought this dress so you could take it off-

Strawberries on a summer evenin' / Baby, you're the end of June / I want your belly and that summer feelin' / Getting washed away in you  
Liam: I don't want to talk about this any more.  
Liam: 😏 so you in my bed alone… what would you be doing?

\---

Walking into the house felt like walking into a wall of negative emotions. It smelled like his dad had been spiraling through shock, anger and disappointment. Liam looked at his younger siblings all had faces and hands sticky with the remnants of their stop at Coldstone.

"You guys should go wash off the ice cream goo before you touch anything and upset your mom," he said, keeping his voice calm.

His little brother scrunched up his face in confusion. "What goo?"

Liam had to smile at the four year old. He got more on his face than in his mouth. "There's chocolate all the way from your eyebrows to your chin."

"That's chocolate, not goo."

The oldest girl, a seven year old in a pink dress, gave her little brother a look and shook her head. "Race you to the bathroom." She ran off and the other two chased after her. 

Liam took a deep breath and went through his mantra. His dad was fuming in the kitchen and he had to go through there to get to his room or the living room. He wanted to be sure to face him with a clear head, in case this was another insane rule he'd somehow broken.

"Explain this," Dad demanded as soon as Liam stepped into the doorway.

Confusion washed over him. Explain what? His dad waved in frustration at the computer that sat on the table."It's my laptop, and I know I left it in my room. Why do you have it?" Liam took another deep breath to help him say calm.

"I was just borrowing it to check my email," he dismissed. "Now, explain the disgusting filth I found on it."

Filth? Liam wracked his brain. He didn't save porn, he streamed it. He kept the intimate pictures he and Theo took on his phone so it couldn't be those. He took a deep breath and felt his dad's anger stir at his own. It didn't matter what was on HIS laptop. "If you were checking your email, why did you go through my stuff?"

"I didn't go through your stuff. The messenger was left open, but that's not the point. The point is why were you having such a disgusting conversation with that man?"

"You had no right to read my private conversation with my boyfriend." Liam fought to keep his voice at a level volume.

"Stop making this about privacy. It's about the depraved things you talked about with him." 

The scent of his dad's disgust was overpowering. Liam took a deep breath through his mouth. "Theo and I spend two or three nights a week together back home. We miss each other, and we are both consenting adults, so I don't understand why you're pissed about it."

"You're not married, Liam! You shouldn't be even talking about this kind of thing until you're married."

"Married?" Liam couldn't believe it. "You moved in with your girlfriend, now wife, the day you and mom separated."

"This isn't about me. Does your mother know he stays over?"

"Yes, she knows. She's made him pancakes more than once. She also knows I slept with Hayden two years ago."

"I had no idea my son was such a slut," he sneered. 

Liam could smell as the disgust and disappointment turned into shame. He wanted to scream. He wanted to let his wolf out and punch a hole in the wall. If he kept smelling his dad's feelings he would. Picking up his computer from the table, he turned and went to his room.

\---

Liam still couldn't believe how fast Theo arrived. The drive to his dad's house was usually two hours. Theo made it in an hour and fifteen minutes. Liam barely had the door closed when Theo shoved his pink hoodie at him. The hoodie was warm, and smelled strongly of Theo. It was Liam's favorite shirt to steel. 

Theo drove them back to Beacon Hills while Liam ranted and raved about the fight with his dad. He sat quietly for a moment, reeking of anger and outrage after Liam finished. "Just so we're clear, you would be upset if he were to suddenly go missing, right?"

Liam laughed. He didn't think laughing when your boyfriend asks if he can murder your father was the right thing to do, but it did feel good. Once again Theo proved he was a perfect anchor and the best boyfriend Liam could ask for. "I would be upset. Don't kill him."

"Fine. He won't disappear." Theo took a deep breath and gave Liam that soft smile. "How about we get some take out and we can do another morality lesson?"

Liam smiled. "That sounds perfect."

They stopped for pizza and went back to Theo's apartment. Only when they had both put away three or four slices did the "morality lesson" start. 

Theo sat on his bed, his back against the wall. Liam's head rested in his lap. "Okay, we have to read this one," Theo said. "Am I the asshole for eating sexy potatoes?"

"What the hell are sexy potatoes?" Liam laughed.

Theo laughed. "Only one way to find out." He read the story of a guy who ate microwaved potatoes hotdog style and one of his co-workers considered this to be sexual harassment. "It sounds like he's got a crazy office Karen on his hands. There's no way he's the asshole."

"Yep," Liam agreed. Sometimes this forum gave them good situations to discuss to help Theo correct what the Dread Doctors did to his moral compass, but mostly they just laughed at people being jerks. 

Liam heard Theo's heart rate spiked for a moment before he brought it under control. His chemo signals changed from relaxed to confidence bordering on arrogance, something Theo only did when he was hiding. "What?" 

"I just found a post from your dad."

"Are you sure?"

"AITA for slut shaming my son for having premarital sex? Is the title. I skimmed the first part he mentioned your yearly summer visits, the make up, crop top and your anger issues."

Liam took a deep breath of Theo's scent and chewed on his bottom lip. "Read it, but not out loud. Tell me if he lied about anything."

"His account matches what you've told me, but there's more. Your stepmom stood up for you, saying he's acting like he's ashamed of you, and he talked to your mom. She ripped into him."

"I knew mom would, but I'm surprised my stepmom said anything. What does the internet say?" He was still trying to figure out how he felt.

"Not only is he definitely the asshole, but they agree with me that he sounds biphobic, hypocritical and is in general a terrible father."

Liam thought that he should come to his father's defense, but couldn't find the words. He considered that for a moment, and realized he not only agreed, but no longer felt the desire to maintain a relationship with the man. "I'm tired of thinking about this. Let's watch a movie."

\---

Theo waited until Liam was completely asleep. He picked up his phone. With a new throw away account he found Liam's father's post and wrote his response.

YourSonsBF: YTA. No question. Your adult son decided to take his last summer before college and spend a significant amount of time with you because he wanted a relationship, something that by your own words you never made a priority. You thanked him for this effort by attacking his style, his relationships, and his morality. He's better off without you, and I would bet he's a better person for your lack of involvement in his life. Do him a favor and stay away until you can accept all of him for who he is, and then pray he accepts your apology.

Theo set his phone aside. He laid down directly behind Liam, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Liam relaxed into the touch and murmured something happily I'm his sleep. Theo fell asleep with his nose buried in his hair.


End file.
